


When You Take The Wheel

by lmontyy



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Lesbian Character, Mild Hurt/Comfort, TLOU, The Last of Us - Freeform, dina and ellie, dina is a cute dumbie and ellie is the best gf on the planet, dina x ellie, ellie and dina, ellie x dina, love without labels is always welcome in this household, tender gays taking care of each other, the last of us part 2 - Freeform, the last of us part ii, tlou 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23928193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmontyy/pseuds/lmontyy
Summary: Dina gets some nasty injuries on her back in a clicker ambush. Her insecurities fuel her to keep them a secret from Ellie. But when Ellie discovers them on her own, Dina is so very regretful that she didn't tell her earlier.
Relationships: Dina & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 297





	When You Take The Wheel

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is heavily inspired by "King of Everything" by Dominic Fike! Please give this wonderful song a listen!
> 
> >> IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: <<
> 
> [ Hi, all. I’m sure by this point, most of us are more than aware of the devastating, ruining leaks that came about for many of the major moments in TLOU 2. With that being said, much has changed in the fandom. But to all of my friends, followers, fans, and audiences, I feel like I need to state that, regarding my writing in both the present and future, I want to assure each and every one of you that I will NOT BE REFERENCING OR INCLUDING ANY CONTENT FROM THE LEAKS IN MY WRITING UNTIL THE DAY THAT THE LAST OF US PART II IS RELEASED.   
> I know just how many of you are scared to be exposed to the leaks, and scared to have the game ruined for you. And, believe me, as someone who has seen all of these leaks, I completely and entirely understand your concern. I just want all of my readers on every platform to know that I will ABSOLUTELY NOT BE ENTERTAINING THESE LEAKS AND NONE OF WHAT WAS LEAKED WILL BE IN ANY OF MY FANFICTIONS UNTIL THE RELEASE OF THE GAME.  
> I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone, nor do I want to subliminally include content from the leaks, either. I’m informing every one of my readers with this message that I wholeheartedly promise that my fanfictions will be SPOILER FREE UNTIL THE DAY THE GAME COMES OUT. I just felt that this needed to be said, since many were worried.  
> Stay safe out there! ]

The clickers came out of nowhere. That’s all Dina can remember thinking before she was backed against a wall, watching Ellie bolt up the stairs to get away.

The two of them had been serving their usual patrol – connected with Jesse’s larger group but off in pairs, just as it always was. Dina always had the wonderful luxury of being stuck with Ellie. But that luxury sometimes turned sour, just as it did the moment the clickers burst through the door and cornered them at different sides of the ranch house.

Quietly, she lurked on the ground for any kind of leeway, any kind of access point, anything that could get her around the house and to the stairs. One way or the other, she promised, she was going to get to Ellie.

The kitchen was covered in broken glass. Old wine glasses, liquor glasses, and drinking glasses were littered across the cabinets, the countertops, and all over the floor. Raiders who must’ve gotten to the house before them seemed to have been tearing the house apart in a hurry – looking for anything worthwhile and finding nothing, Dina guessed. All she cared about was the fact that it would most definitely make reaching Ellie a lot harder.

Silence echoed in the household – aside from the ghastly noises from the clickers – and while part of her was filled with dread at the soundlessness that hung in the air, the rest of her was relieved, as she knew that Ellie was either hiding, dodging them, or both. The lack of noise indicated that she was okay, for now.

One of the stray clickers that had moved away from the rest of the group that quietly and swiftly patrolled the house, ears scouting for even the slightest sound of a hand brushing a countertop, or a wrong step on a squeaky floorboard. She couldn’t deny the racing of her heart through her chest as the clicker approached. It stumbled toward her, stepping across each floorboard like it was nothing, but she knew full well it would lunge and try and kill her the second she tried to step.

Unable to fight the slight panic, the instinct to move away before it reached her kicked in her senses, and Dina began to take a few steps back as the clicker only moved closer and closer.

The cracking sound of glass beneath her shoe made her blood run cold. Everything in time seemed to freeze in that second as she watched the clicker’s head whip forward and the scream from the horrible thing rung in her ears. She had no time to stay still.

Getting to her feet, she made a mad dash for the backdoor that was just off to her left, behind the clicker that was running right for her. But, it was to no avail. Before she could process any of the split-second reactions from both her and the clicker in front of her, the infected had the upper hand on her and she was being thrown backward, tripping over the sheer force used from the clicker, and landing right back to the spot that she’d made the fatal step backward.

Pain shot through her nerves like daggers in her back, and she couldn’t fight the shout of pain that followed before the clicker was throwing itself on top of her. Her gun that sat gently in her holster felt like it was miles away, and not for even a minute could she reach for it without the risk of dying from the monster that batted her with rotting arms and legs. She continued to hit back and try to throw it off, the pain in her back suddenly disappearing at lightning speed at the almost-certain death that she fought to get off of her.

Distant gunshots went off, though Dina couldn’t make out just where they had been coming from. She couldn’t afford to take her concentration off her life-threatening battle with the beast in front of her, and as her arms began to tire and her legs couldn’t push it off, she began to pant and hyperventilate with complete fear, strokes of panic released through her voice and through her mouth as her breathing hardened.

Two loud gunshots sounded, followed by blood exploding from the clicker’s head. All fighting and resistance stopped, and the monster went limp against her body. Dina was quick to push it off in panicked disgust, and was met with the concerned, bloodied face of Ellie as she reached a swift hand down to help her up.

“Fuck, are you okay?” She asked, her voice completely frantic laced with the most concern she’d ever seen in the stoic girl. Two hands, one with a pistol, reached forward to touch her arms, the metal from the pistol cold in contrast to the warmth of Ellie’s soft palms pressed against her skin.

“Yeah,” Dina panted, still recovering her breath from her horrifying encounter. The pain in her back felt like razors, but she forced herself to swallow the sting. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Good, then let’s get the fuck out of here,” Ellie’s voice, despite the frenzied worry, was so relieving to hear. More screeching and footsteps that pounded against hardwood came running for their direction, and it took Dina a moment to recuperate before she realized their situation and was quick to make a dash for the door, Ellie’s free hand grasping onto her sleeve and pulling her forward slightly to get her to move, only to put her hand back on her pistol and point it down as she hastily made for the door.

“Right.”

Just as they reached the door and were about to run for the outside, a group of a few more clickers that Dina didn’t get the chance to count burst through the wood and came face-to-face with the shocked girls behind it. Right away, they sensed them, screaming before lunging for them.

Ellie’s arm found a way across the front of Dina’s torso in defense as both girls realized that they needed to run, both of them making it toward the steps and dodging the other clickers who had broken their way into the house. Their boots pounded up the stairs, Dina’s right behind Ellie’s, with Dina reaching up to touch Ellie as they both rushed up the stairs, partially to stay right in contact with her and partially for her own comfort.

The bedroom door at the end of the hall was wide open, and without paying any kind of attention to the rest of the doors, both girls sprinted for the room and Ellie slammed the door behind them, pressing her entire weight against it while the clickers banged against it, one after the other piling against the wood on the other side.

“Dina, hurry!”

Scrambling to find anything to shove against the door, she resorted to moving the entire dresser over, and with immense, panicked strength, she made it all the way against the door with the clickers barely making it in.

The door wasn’t sturdy, and the force of the clickers pushing against it was forcing the hinges to strain, and they watched in horror as the door started to give in.

“Shit, what do we do?” Dina’s breath was loose and panicked, her chest heaving from their escape. She looked to Ellie, her usually adorable, innocent face twisted with fear as she frantically looked around the room for some way to get out.

Ellie finally sprinted for the window, throwing it open with a strength Dina knew was fueled on her terror. The roof was arched up, and touched down right beneath the window, proving a way for their escape. When Ellie was met with the resistance of a screen on the other side, she quickly tried to get it open. In that time, Dina had run over to help, pushing up on the metal and meeting nothing but hard opposition from the sturdy frame that had been molded and crusted over with age.

“Fuck it,” Ellie cursed with a panicked frustration as she cocked a fist back and sent it flying through the screen, breaking a hole through it instantly. After a few more firm punches, the screen was broken enough for them to climb through.

Both heads turned in instants as the earsplitting crack from the wood of the door broke through, and they watched the screaming clickers forcing their way through the breakage and making their way into the room.

“Go!” Dina shouted, pushing Ellie by the lower back toward the window, the panic finally breaking inside the taller girl as she threw herself out the window before instinctually turning to get Dina through with her.

It took a moment for Dina’s fear to break – she almost felt frozen in place watching the clickers get nearer and nearer, the first few finally falling from the dresser, and down on the floor just feet away from her.

“Dina! Fucking move!”

Ellie’s distressed shout had her snapping back to reality and turning to escape. Just as she was pushing herself out, she felt a pair of cold, hard hands grab her shins and start pulling her back in. Ellie was quick to fly forward and grip her arms in her strong hands, using all the force she possibly could to yank her from the clickers’ grasp.

Upon getting her out, Ellie punched one of the clickers hard across their rotting face which sent it back flying, shoving the others’ chest to join it before reaching in and with a mighty pull down, brought the glass back down and slammed the window shut, locking the clickers inside just moments before they rushed the window, beating against it much like they did with the door.

Ellie wasted no time turning to the girl who watched her in awe, shaken up by the close encounter inside the house and as she was getting out. Taking her face in a firm, calloused hand and feeling the softness of her cheek, Ellie’s eyes were racked with worry.

“Are you okay?” She quickly bent down to look at her legs. “Are you hurt?”

“No, no, I’m good,” Dina assured, a relieved smile stitched across her lips and a short laugh escaped through her breath as she reached down to hold Ellie’s face much like she had held hers.

“Alright,” Ellie murmured with a hesitant, curd nod. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

The roof was lower to the ground, but connected right with the overhang on the balcony out front. Quietly, they maneuvered down to the roof above the balcony, letting themselves hang before dropping down onto the dirt below. Ellie went first, surveying the area around them and peeking into the front door that had been bashed open, and only seeing the clickers roaming around the far ends of the house through the doorways. Dina observed her as she gave a good look into the door, throwing a glance behind them to make sure they were in the clear.

“We’re good,” Dina whispered across to the taller girl who nodded and bolted for the woods behind them from where they came, Dina following closely behind, both girls throwing looks back behind them to assure that none of the clickers had been following them. They continued to sprint into the trees, finally in the clear.

Only then did the pain in her back resurface, as she remembered her injury from the scuffle in the kitchen. The glass was still in her back, her backpack loosely around her shoulder. Occasionally, the backpack would hit into the pincers of glass still stuck in her skin, making her wince and forcing her to bite back groans and shouts of pain.

Looking ahead of her to see Ellie running, she let it sink in that telling her about the injury would only worry her. Ellie’s pain tolerance, Dina knew, was one of the best she’d ever seen in her life. The girl could take arrows to the arms, shoulders, and legs, and hobble back up like it was nothing but a scrape. Dina was determined to swallow the pain like Ellie did.

Up the road, just less than a mile, the cabin in which they had camped out at sat blissfully in the quiet breeze around them, trees towering overhead. It shone brightly in the setting sun, the wood an orangey-tinted color against the evening light. The horses were still as they stood peacefully, tied to the fence out front of the cabin, just where they had left them that morning.

“Thank God,” Ellie huffed in relief, finally stopping from her half-sprinted speed walk, when it came into view.

She pulled herself to a full stop and leaned over, hands on her knees, catching her breath painfully. Dina was next to stop to breathe, leaning against a tree for support of her weak, tired legs. Her back throbbed, the pain of the glass becoming more excruciating with every moment that they’d run.

They were hasty about getting inside – both of them wanted more than anything to feel the assurance of their makeshift home, away from the deadly environment they were surrounded by.

Ellie was the first to sink down into the dining chair closest to the door, slumping over in exhaustion and pain. Concern crashed over Dina like a tidal wave. Heading over to the table, her soft hand found its way comfortingly onto the taller girl’s back, causing her to tense for the shortest of seconds before the familiarity of the touch seeped through the fabric of her clothes, and she leaned back against the chair and looked up to meet Dina’s eyes. She didn’t hesitate leaning down and pressing a sweet, lingering kiss to her sweaty forehead, the taste of salt stinging on her tongue when she leaned down even further to place an even tenderer kiss to chapped, dry lips.

When she pulled away, Ellie’s childlike smile sending shocks of warmth rippling through her skin and her nerves.

“I’m gonna go use the bathroom, okay?” Dina’s voice was so fragile, she even surprised herself. “I think I need a shower.” A cheeky smile formed down at the taller girl who looked at her with such adoration that it shook her.

“I think you need one, too,” Ellie’s joke was sweet in her ears. A gentle shove on the shoulder and a roll of her dark eyes had the chuckles rolling out from the exhausted girl in the chair.

With a sigh of relief, she turned quickly down the hallway and headed for the bedroom. She picked up a new change of clothes and a towel in record time before closing their bathroom door with a slam. The quiet of the bathroom eased her mind, but couldn’t ease the striking pain in her back.

Turning the water on and letting the steam conquer the shiny surfaces, the glass, the mirror, and the tile, she cautiously removed her shirt and her bra, and turned to see the extent of the damage from the struggle.

Most of the glass had fallen out on its own – most had been loosely tucked into her skin, and fallen out even as early as when she stood up. There were only a few deeper shards that stuck out and proved to fight slightly against her pull on them. Gritting her teeth to keep the yells of pain from roughly passing into the air, she used the minimum force she could to help get each shard out, with the help of the mirror.

The hot water that steamed when it touched down upon her freckled skin ignited every nerve in her body, relieving the soreness in her muscles from the long trek back to the working cabin. Hesitation plagued her every movement when she knew it was time to let the water fall on the injuries littered across her back. Regardless, her mouth tightened and dried and her brows furrowed as she reluctantly turned her body around to let the water clean her wounds.

A scream of agony almost passed her lips – had it not been for her control and the way she had stitched her mouth shut, the scream would’ve echoed in every room, every corner of the house. Instead, the scream died in her throat, and the initial surge of pain that came from the hot water touching on her open wounds had eased, a confusing mix of pain but surprising soothe erupting instead as more water washed over the injuries.

Water brushed down her spine, down her wounds and toward her legs. She sighed, a shiver raking her body at the hot water that seeped into her cool skin. Taking the soap and washing herself nicely, Dina reflected on the moments that had led up to her accident.

That moment of panic that consumed her, that instinctual feeling in her bones that told every sense of hers to run as the clicker came closer and closer. That prey-like manner that had her life flashing before her eyes every time one came nearby. She couldn’t even reach for her gun – she was consumed with terror. It was in that moment of weakness did she step backward and onto the glass that had littered across the floor.

Then she remembered Ellie running in and shooting it off of her. How quick she must’ve acted – the immediate danger she put herself in the moment she heard the screaming of the clicker from the kitchen. She came barreling through the house, shooting down all of the clickers that had gotten in her way, fighting her way to get to Dina. It was the kind of bravery that Dina knew she would never have – not like that – and she admired Ellie every second of every day for it.

Whenever she managed to injure herself – whether it was from a clicker, a raider, or even just an accident – Dina was always the first one to hesitate telling Ellie about it. It was definitely nothing against Ellie; the girl was always too sweet and too gentle with her any time she maintained an injury. It was her own shame, her own insecurity, that fueled her secrecy. Ellie hid her pain so well – why couldn’t she?

Besides, what was the sense? She was alright. The water soothed the raging burning effect that it had sparked across her back. She would patch them up nicely and completely ignore them. She’d swallow the pain even better than Ellie.

Turning the handle and letting the water run itself out, she stepped out of the steam and onto the rug at the foot of the shower. While the cuts were much calmer with the soothing warm water still relieving the pain of the shards that had dug into her skin, they still burned and pulsated lightly, exciting the nerves with the heat of the pain.

Drying her long, dark curls with the towel, she quickly took to wrapping the towel around her, tucked underneath her armpits, as she took the brush from the cabinet underneath – the cabin was still full of past supplies from other patrols – and started running it through her hair. Splitting her hair into two sections and resting her curls against her chest was the biggest mistake, because when she did that, she heard a faint knock and the door cracked open.

“You mind if I come in?” Ellie’s soft voice was littered with something that Dina couldn’t place her finger on – it sounded like a healthy relationship of both concern and care.

“Sure,” Dina responded, startled by her coming in. Quickly, she turned herself around to keep her back out of sight.

Opening the door just enough to let herself fit through, her eyes were big and uneasy, her eye contact never breaking even as she closed the door behind her. Dina felt the warm sentiment radiating from the girl’s skin, from her eyes, from the look on her face. Seeing Ellie’s face always made her feel right at home – safe and loved.

“Hey,” her voice was just above a whisper, and Dina watched the hesitation to step forward write itself across Ellie’s face.

“Hey.”

Finally, the dam broke behind Ellie’s eyes and with a moment of reluctance, she pushed forward and pressed her lips gently into Dina’s, catching her entirely off-guard. Dina knew these tender moments that Ellie _initiated_ were few and far between – she wasn’t one to really show her emotion much. That didn’t stop her from kissing back. Two rough hands made their way to hips covered by a thin towel. Her thin arms wrapped around strong shoulders – their favorite spot to be was around Ellie’s face.

Ellie pulled back from her lips to look into deep, murky eyes. Dina admired the forest green that stared back – those beautiful eyes she could never get sick of.

“You sure you’re okay?” Ellie’s eyes narrowed slightly, her face wincing as she read the nervous, unmarked expression across Dina’s face. “You seem really off.”

“I’m fine, El,” Dina’s fingers came to slowly brush away a lock of hair that hung in front of a freckled face. “Honestly, I’m okay.” Ellie seemed to see past her feigned reassurance.

“Are you just shaken up from earlier?”

Dina was careful with her words. “Something like that,” she forced a smile which she watched Ellie pick up on.

“I just wanted to make sure that…” Ellie’s eyes averted off to the background, and her face dropped in a confused outrage that had Dina’s heart dropping in her chest. “What the hell…?”

Ellie forcefully moved her hands up to grab her arms, and turned her around with a firm grip. Frozen with panic, she allowed Ellie to spin her around like she was a weightless feather, coming face-to-face with her own reflection. She had forgotten about the mirror on the opposite side of the bathroom.

In the mirror, Dina watched with dread as Ellie’s horrified eyes wandered the expanse of each wound to her upper back, calloused fingers tracing the skin around each cut. Dina winced a few times, but Ellie was so concentrated on each of the injuries that she didn’t even notice.

“What the hell happened?” Her voice was a soft outrage, completely taken aback at the state of her back.

Dina turned slightly back and made apologetic eye contact with the horrified green eyes that burned into hers, demanding answers that she was so reluctant to give.

She gave her a short, shy explanation of what happened – how she stepped back on the glass that was all over the kitchen, how the clicker rushed her, how she was thrown back into all of the shards. Ellie sighed, her face scrunching and releasing, before looking back up at her, eyebrows furrowed and arched.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I asked if you were okay,” Her tone lacked the anger that Dina had been expecting.

“It was nothing,” Dina insisted, reaching a hand over and gripping hers softly, with no response. “Seriously, I’m really fine.”

“That looks like it fucking hurts,” Ellie pointed it with frustration.

“It did,” Dina murmured honestly. “But the water helped a lot.”

“Dina, I don’t understand why you hid it from me in the first place,” Ellie’s frustration hit her heart like a piercing arrow. “I want to help.”

Another arrow hit into her heart at the genuine care infused in her soft voice. “I know, El.”

All the anger and frustration that fires behind those beautiful eyes seems to die out the moment she spoke – her voice tender and vulnerable and something Ellie definitely wasn’t used to. With a heaving sigh, all of Ellie’s frustration releases like steam from the breath, spreading out into the air and trailing warmth.

“Come on,” Ellie nudges, bringing the hand that Dina held minutes ago back into her soft palm, allowing Dina to feel the roughness of her skin and take it in. She was always comforted by the feeling of Ellie being close and affectionate.

Leading her off into the bedroom, she motioned for Dina to sit down on the side of the bed before disappearing back into the bathroom and emerging with her change of clothes in one hand and the first-aid-kit kept under the sink in the other.

As Ellie unpacked what she needed from the kit, Dina found the right opportunity to slip into her underwear and jeans, completely shamelessly in front of Ellie as she focused on the supplies – Ellie had seen her naked before, countless times, for countless reasons, some of which sparked a small blush to crawl across her face. She knew that Ellie paid no mind to her, and never once did she ever feel uncomfortable changing in front of the taller girl. On the contrary, the way Ellie’s eyes would wander her body in complete adoration for what she called “beauty” only ever warmed Dina to the core.

She didn’t bother slipping on a bra – she knew it would only be excruciating if it rested on the wounds. With her legs hanging off the side of the bed beside Ellie, she turned her torso around, exposing her back to the taller girl. Ellie moved herself slightly to have a better angle to work.

Dina couldn’t see what she was doing or what she was reaching for, but the pouring amount of trust she had for the girl completely oversaw that. She felt a cold, oily substance slide over her skin, pushed in by those strong fingers. Guessing it was some kind of strong, antibacterial ointment, she winced in pain from the sudden pressure on the gaping cuts.

Ellie must’ve felt her tense against her working hands. In the next moment, she was whispering: “Easy,” to soothe Dina’s nerves, and, God, did it work. The low voice of reassurance as she continued to slowly and gently rub the ointment over her injuries dulled the flame in her nerves. After a few more moments, she finally removed her hands from her back, and Dina felt the sweetest and softest kiss press to her shoulder blade, igniting her entire body and sinking into the warm feeling of Ellie’s compassion and care.

Next, she heard the unwrapping of gauzes, each little package Ellie disposed of on the covers beside them. Thanks to the stickiness of the ointment, each gauze she gently pressed against the wounded skin stuck to it, and one by one she continued to cover them as softly as she could. Reaching for an ace bandage, she unraveled that and slowly started to wrap it ever so gently around Dina’s chest, starting at her back.

When Dina turned her head slightly to shoot the girl a smile of appreciation and love, she was met with furrowed brows and concentrated eyes that barely noticed her movement. The bandage pins were stuck between adorable, plump lips, and Dina’s heart swelled at the sight of her.

“I love it when you take the wheel like this,” Dina’s mind spoke for itself, her words blurting out in a voice just above a whisper. It was true – she loved when Ellie took her time to love and care for her, in every situation. She had to pry her eyes away and turn her head back to make it easier for Ellie to continue working.

“Really?” Amusement riddled in her tone but her face contradicted herself.

“Yeah,” Dina murmured sweetly, her smile never leaving.

“Yeah, well, I take the wheel on a lot of things,” Dina picked up on the jokingly promiscuous nature in her words, and she could just _feel_ the smirk from behind her. Dina couldn’t hold the small laugh that escaped through a sigh as she shook her head with mirth.

“Like what, asshole?” She challenged the taller girl, shooting a glance behind her and only meeting those same concentrated eyes, but this time, the corners of her lips were upturned into the softest of grins.

Ellie didn’t answer – she pretended to be too focused to respond.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” Dina basked in Ellie’s defeat.

Suddenly, the taller girl leaned over enough that Dina could see her from the corner of her eye. Her smirk was infectious.

“I don’t have to fucking do this for you, you know.”

Dina couldn’t help but turn her head to meet the girl she adored so much with a challenging stare that quickly turned soft and defensive.

“I know you don’t.”

“Okay, great, so why don’t you shut the fuck up and stop being a smartass before I leave you to do this yourself?” Her voice was firm and gripping, but her smirk gave it away. The battle against a smile was written all over her face.

Dina only furrowed her brows at the girl, unable to help herself as she leaned in and pressed a strong kiss to her lips. Ellie responded before slowly moving back to focus on her shoulders and continue wrapping the bandage around her. Over her breasts and around her upper back and shoulder blades, the long ace bandage was a perfect fit, and finally, she used both pins that she had set aside on the comforter when she went to joke with Dina, and set them into the fabric, keeping it in place.

“There,” Ellie brushed her hands off gently, reaching for all the packets containing the meds and crumpling them into one ball in her fist.

Stretching as gently as she could, Dina felt the rush of comfort and ease come from the bandages, her body accustoming to the pressure she felt against each of the cuts.

Disappearing for a moment to dispose of the wrappers and return the kit, Ellie emerged from the bathroom again, watching Dina move around for a moment with an intense wonder in her eyes that Dina knew right away was Ellie admiring her. It set her nerves aflame again, a heat surging through her as she watched Ellie’s smile grow.

“How’s it feel?” She asked with curiosity and hope.

“Really good,” Dina praised sweetly, making her way over to her and carefully wrapping thin arms around broad shoulders, much like in the bathroom. “It feels much better. Thank you.”

Ellie only smiled in return, leaning in to press another long, endearing kiss to her lips, which Dina eagerly returned. They stood, holding onto each other dearly, as they continued to press their lips gently and lovingly into one another, indulging in each other’s embrace like it was the last time they’d ever be together. Their love sent Dina’s body into a high like no other.

Pulling away with kind, adoring eyes, Ellie watched her carefully with the same smile. Nightfall had fallen over them, and the moonlight seeped into the window. “What do you say to getting some rest?” She asked delightfully.

“I think I could use some,” Dina joked before pressing a light kiss to the tip of Ellie’s nose which scrunched lovingly at the contact.

The bed was still neat from where they sat on it, clean of all wrappers and medical supplies. Dina hadn’t thought about how her injuries might’ve affected her sleeping until she realized that if she rolled over or slept on her back, she’d be in immense pain all night. A sigh of frustration escaped her lips at the realization, prompting Ellie to turn and look at her with a concerned curiosity.

“What?” She asked, voice wary as she untucked the covers.

“No, nothing,” Dina’s agitated voice had her lips pursing. “It’s just gonna suck sleeping tonight.”

Ellie’s face softened then, as an idea took over her. She removed the flannel that she normally wore and left it to sit on the dresser. “Oh, don’t worry about that.”

She slid into her side of the bed and moved over enough so that she was more toward the middle of the bed, and outstretched her arm to allow Dina to crawl into her embrace.

“Just lay on me,” Ellie insisted, her extended arms making room for Dina’s head to find solace on her chest. The realization of it made Dina’s head spin and her stomach rumbled with butterflies that flapped away at the way Ellie was so fragile as she cared for her.

Without any protest, Dina threw the tank top over her head that she had prepared earlier, the bandage covering over her breasts and back not adjusting at all from around her. She found her way right into the covers beside her, gently resting herself in Ellie’s tucked embrace.

Laying down on her side, she threw a leg over Ellie’s torso and thighs, adjusting her body to be more dependent on her chest. An arm found its way around Ellie’s waist, half of her body wrapped around her. Ellie’s arm was careful sitting on the tops of Dina’s shoulder, wary of the injuries scattered across her back and cautious not to touch them.

As the rustling over the comforter and the sheets stopped, both of them reaching their point of comfort, Dina admired closed eyes and a tired, freckled face. Dina was addicted to the feeling of Ellie’s chest slowly moving up and down, a faint heartbeat thudding against her arm. There was nothing more soothing than Ellie – her life, her humanity, her safety. The fact that she was alive and the fact that she could _feel_ her life just resting against her arm divine and sacred, something she would never get tired of acknowledging.

“Hey,” Dina whispered before Ellie had the chance to fully fall asleep. An exhausted hum in return signaling to her to continue. “Thank you. For everything. I’m sorry for not telling you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ellie’s slurred, tired speech was genuine and sweet. “It’s okay.”

“No, seriously, thank you,” Dina’s voice was completely full of tenderness and meaning.

A small snore cut through her thoughts, interrupting her deep and heartfelt word to Ellie. Glancing up to see the girl fast asleep, Dina couldn’t help but be amused and warm to the tired girl. God, did she adore her.

“Asshole,” Dina muttered with a smile clear on her face before she allowed her own eyes to fall behind tired lids and slowly join her loving Ellie in a peaceful rest.

**Author's Note:**

> >> IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: <<
> 
> Hi, all. I’m sure by this point, most of us are more than aware of the devastating, ruining leaks that came about for many of the major moments in TLOU 2. With that being said, much has changed in the fandom. But to all of my friends, followers, fans, and audiences, I feel like I need to state that, regarding my writing in both the present and future, I want to assure each and every one of you that I will NOT BE REFERENCING OR INCLUDING ANY CONTENT FROM THE LEAKS IN MY WRITING UNTIL THE DAY THAT THE LAST OF US PART II IS RELEASED.   
> I know just how many of you are scared to be exposed to the leaks, and scared to have the game ruined for you. And, believe me, as someone who has seen all of these leaks, I completely and entirely understand your concern. I just want all of my readers on every platform to know that I will ABSOLUTELY NOT BE ENTERTAINING THESE LEAKS AND NONE OF WHAT WAS LEAKED WILL BE IN ANY OF MY FANFICTIONS UNTIL THE RELEASE OF THE GAME.  
> I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone, nor do I want to subliminally include content from the leaks, either. I’m informing every one of my readers with this message that I wholeheartedly promise that my fanfictions will be SPOILER FREE UNTIL THE DAY THE GAME COMES OUT. I just felt that this needed to be said, since many were worried.  
> Thank you for reading! Stay safe out there, friends!  
> ~ Monty


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